Fact of the day

Information is the most powerful weapon.

Monday

Fact N°
2684

Infants in dog-owning families are healthier.

A Finnish study conducted at Kuopio University Hospital indicates that the presence of a dog in the house (or, to a lesser degree, a cat) makes babies less likely to get sick. Researchers followed the health of 400 infants over the course of a year. One-third of the households involved had dogs, and slightly fewer had cats. The babies in households with dogs were healthy between 72% and 76% of the time; in non-dog households, that number was 65%. Babies who were at home with a dog between zero and six hours out of the day were the healthiest, indicating that some exposure, but not overexposure, to dog-associated germs and dirt helps a child's immune system mature faster than in a totally pristine environment.

Tuesday

Fact N°
2685

All other things being equal, family dinners aren't associated with healthier or better-behaved teens.

Research appearing in The Journal of Marriage and Family indicates that sharing a family dinner doesn't, in and of itself, have any particular benefits. The study controlled for all the non-dinner factors in family relationships (so it wasn't comparing broken homes with happy families). Teens who engaged in family dinners did have slightly fewer depressive symptoms, but none of the other often-touted benefits held up. The study found no notable lasting effects on delinquency, drug and alcohol use, or overall well-being (though the researchers allowed that dinners can be beneficial if they provide the only context for teens and parents to talk).

Wednesday

Fact N°
2686

Work stress is the most common cause of sleep disturbance.

Research from Consumer Reports found that, among all people who report trouble sleeping, the most common cause for staying awake is work-related stress, followed by health and financial worries. The study, which surveyed 26,451 participants, found that 60% of respondents considered themselves insomniacs, 40% had tried over-the-counter sleep aids, and 30% had tried prescription medication-but about half of people using sleep medications reported some kind of side effect. Buying a new mattress helped 75% of respondents with their sleep problems.

Thursday

Fact N°
2687

How you use Facebook can reveal your personality traits.

Researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a scale that measures personality based on Facebook activity. They formulated the scale by surveying study participants on their Facebook usage and giving them accompanying personality tests. According to the scale, risk-seeking individuals have a tendency toward more overt activity -- frequently updating statuses and uploading photos, for example. More reserved people tend to prefer familiar, routine experiences, usually just browsing news feeds without interacting directly.

Friday

Fact N°
2689

A woman's finger length can predict her navigational skills.

The length of a person's ring finger in relation to his or her other fingers has been used in hundreds of studies to indicate hormone exposure. MIT researchers asked 82 male and female participants to watch a clip from a computer game showing the location of a tiny crystal in a field, then to navigate back to the crystal's location. Women in the study navigated more accurately and performed better overall if their ring fingers were longer than their index fingers (as is the case with the majority of men).

Saturday

Fact N°
2690

Being threatening can be beneficial in a negotiation.

According to researchers at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, subtle threats -- or even blatant ones -- can help in a negotiation, though threats that lack anger are more effective. Researchers found that both calm threats (such as the threat of walking away from the negotiation) and outright hostility are likely to lead to concessions by the other party, but calmness is more effective because it's also associated with poise -- the other party is more likely to see you as serious and worthy of respect, instead of as someone who is merely prone to outbursts. Finally, calm threats tend to be most effective when delivered late in a negotiation.

Sunday

Fact N°
2691

A marketing agency has developed vending machines that adjust prices based on the heat.

The company Momentum has rolled out 18 lemonade vending machines throughout Spain, mostly around amusement parks, that come with software enabling them to discount prices based on the surrounding temperature. The price adjustments will be active throughout the summer and will offer a 30% discount at each "step" as the weather gets hotter -- prices will start at 2 euros ($2.44) for a can of Minute Maid's Limon & Nada, and eventually drop to 1 euro ($1.22) once the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).